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#celtic witchcraft
sugaryewscythe · 8 months
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♡✨ my altar for the celtic goddess cerridwen ✨♡
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lailoken · 4 days
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Cernunnos Devotional Beads (For Sale)
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This set of unique devotional beads was ritually crafted and consecrated in the name of Cernunnos—Horned God of Celtic antiquity.
It was constructed from beads of Moss Agate (a stone strongly associated with the Wilderness), along with counter beads of scavenged Serpent Vertebrae (serpents being a greatly sacred animal to Cernunnos), which are bracketed with small beads of Jasperized Wood (beautifully embodying an amalgam of botanical and chthonic virtues.) On one end of the garland is secured an Arrowhead Pendant, hand-carved from Stag Antler (a potent token of his roles as Horned Lord and Master of the Wild Hunt). On the other end is secured a hand-forged Steel Pendant (chosen for the magical potency of/ancient reverence for Iron, as well as the piece's resemblance to both a coiled serpent and the coiled germ of a seedling preparing to sprout.) Once the Garland was constructed, the piece was hallowed in a sylvan ritual beneath the light of a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse.
This piece measures approximately 23.5 inches/60 centimeters long, and all connecting rings and pins are made from stainless steel. If interested in acquiring it or inquiring about it, please feel free to reach out here. It can also be purchased directly through my shop, Wending Wares.
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witchtickles · 2 months
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Cerridwen
Deity Of: Magic, wisdom, transformation, poetry, creativity, herbalism Animals: white pig, crow, hen, hare Crystals: moonstone, selenite Herbs & Trees: vervain, wheat, barley, oak, poppy Favorite Offerings: grains, acorns, pork, vervain leaves Symbols: Cauldron, white sow, grain
Cerridwen was an enchantress from Welsh legend and the mother of a beautiful daughter, Creirwy, and a hideous son, Morfran. Cerridwen knew that her son would never be accepted because of his looks, so she sought to make a potion that would make him the wisest man alive in compensation.
She began to brew a potion in her magical cauldron that would grant her son the gift of wisdom and poetic inspiration, also called Awen. The potion had to brew for a year and a day, so she set a blind man named Morda to tend the fire, and a young boy named Gwion Bach to stir the potion. Once completed, the first three drops would grant the gift of Awen and the rest was fatal poison.
On the final day of the brewing, when the potion was ready, the boy spilled three drops of it onto his thumb. Instinctively, he put his thumb in his mouth to sooth the burn, thus consuming the wisdom and inspiration meant for Morfran. Understanding what he had done, Gwion Bach fled to avoid Cerridwen's anger.
She gave chase, and using the powers of the potion, Gwion Bach attempted to elude her by transforming into a series of animals. He became a hare and Cerridwen became a greyhound. He became a salmon and jumped into the river, and she became an otter. He became a sparrow and she became a hawk. Finally, he turned into a single kernel of corn and Cerridwen turned into a hen and ate him.
Because of the potion, he was not destroyed and instead Cerridwen became pregnant. She vowed to kill him when he was born, but the baby was so beautiful that she could not bring herself to do it. Instead, she placed the baby in a coracle and pushed him out to sea. He was rescued on the Welsh shore by a prince and grew up to become the legendary bard, Taliesin.
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coinandcandle · 1 year
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Samhain
Crisp air like a freshly picked apple and leaves the colors of sunset indicating the ending of a season; here comes Autumn and with it a very popular pagan holiday: Samhain!
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This is a remake of my original Samhain post. This one is going to be a long one so buckle up!~
While us those in the northern hemisphere are celebrating Samhain, our friends in the southern hemisphere will be celebrating Beltane!
Historical Samhain
The name “Samhain” (pronounced Sah-when) comes from the Old Irish samain which literally means “Summer’s end” as it was created using Old Irish sam ”Summer” and fuin ”end” (etymonline.com).
By now I’m sure you’ve guessed Samhain’s origin, it’s a Celtic* festival, one of four major holidays.
**In this post when I refer to “Celts” or “Celtic people” I am referring only to the Insular Celts, more specifically the Gaelic-speaking Celts. To learn the difference between Celtic and Gaelic please read this article
For these Celts, Samhain was the beginning of the new year. Due to the oral nature of the culture, not much is known about the traditions of Samhain, though we have some documentation from other cultures as well as some ideas from historians as to what they may have done.
Traditions
The traditions of Samhain may vary by group or even by family, but one common tradition was to have a large, public sacred bonfire. (Fun fact, the term “Bonfire” comes from the English “bonefire” meaning literally “a fire of bones”). During these bonfires, the Celts would sacrifice livestock and crops as offerings to their deities.
Households would extinguish their hearth fires earlier that day and would take the flame from the public bonfire to reignite their hearths. This was likely to represent renewal or new beginnings as they transitioned to the new year as well as a representation of community.
The veil between this world and other worlds is thought to be very thin on Samhain, making it easier not only for us to reach out to spirits, deities, and the like, but for them to reach out to us. These otherworldly beings are thought to be able to influence our world more powerfully during Samhain.
In some places, like Britanny, they believed that the dead would visit their living friends and relatives during this time.
In Welsh tradition, people would leave out food, leave doors unlocked, and prepare the house for the spirits of relatives that may come to visit.
Large turnips were hollowed out and would have faces carved into them and then place on window sills to ward off evil spirits.
In other places, like Scotland, Samhain was a time for mischief. Young men would dress up as spirits, donning masks, painting their faces, or wearing costumes.
Divination was very popular during this time, especially marriage divination. This wasn’t just done by druids but by the common folk as well.
In some places, it was considered taboo to forage for fruit or grain during and after Samhain, it was thought that the fae or spirits would have passed over and tainted them. There were even laws against doing so.
Notes
Samhain is the Irish name for the month of November.
Samhain is one of the four main holidays of the ancient Celts, the other three are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Imbolc.
Pigs were the choice of sacrificial animal for Samhain.
Samhain was a sacred time that often welcomed assemblies and would be used to settle important business matters like the inauguration of new kings, debts being paid, and trials.
In Celtic mythology, the Second Battle of Mag Tuired begins on Samhain.
Trick-or-treating is a modern-day tradition but could have derived from the many different traditions of old.
The Cailleach is a seasonal goddess said to rule the “dark” side of the year (fall and winter) and would rule between Samhain and Beltane. Likewise, the goddess Brigid would rule the “light” side of the year between Beltane and Samhain.
While Wiccans may celebrate Samhain as part of their Wheel of the Year, it is not a Wiccan-specific holiday and has ties to much older traditions.
Modern Halloween is an amalgamation of Samhain and the Christian All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ day. Halloween found its popularity after many Celts immigrated to North America.
Similar to these holidays is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which originated in Mexico. This holiday reunites the living and the dead, allowing the spirits of loved ones to cross back over to our world for a short period of time. Families will make altars and give offerings to those who have passed. Festivities and celebrations are held during this time. It is traditionally held on November 1st or 2nd but is celebrated on October 31st or November 6th depending on the location.
Modern Samhain
As long as you’re aware of and honor the history of Samhain and are being respectful you can celebrate this holiday however you choose!
Here is a list of correspondences and the like that I found throughout my research for Samhain, some have historical backing and others don’t. Take what speaks to you and leave what doesn’t.
Food
Mead, beer, and mulled wine
Meat
Bread, soul cakes, pies, and other such pastries.
Apples, squash, and potatoes.
Colcannon
Soul cakes
Barmbrack
Colors
Warm colors such as red, orange, brown, and yellow.
Black
Dark green
Rocks & Metals
Onyx
Obsidian
Citrine
Hematite
Carnelian
Smoky quartz
Tiger’s eye
Ruby
Copper
Jet
Plants
Rosemary
Thyme
Vervain
St. John’s Wort
Mugwort
Dragon’s blood
Saffron
Deities
The Morrigan
The Dagda
The Morrigan and The Dagda seem to be the main deities for Samhain as per Celtic mythology but you could also choose to honor any Celtic deity or even other deities on this day, especially those involving liminality and death such as:
Cerunnos
Diana
Anubis
Hecate
Heimdall
Here are more liminal deities and here are more death deities.
Magic & Spellwork
Spirit work: honoring or communicating with spirits
Banishing and cleansing (out with the old and in with the new!)
Honoring ancestors
Activities
Bonfire
Fest
Baking
Decorating or creating an altar for Samhain
Other Correspondences
Tarot: Death, The World
Death in the Tarot often means “the end of something with the promise of something new on the horizon”, and represents transition the perfect card for a holiday of similar sentiment.
The World tarot card indicates cycles, closure, and completion.
Zodiac: Scorpio
It’s Scorpio season!
Runes: Fehu, Eihwaz
Fehu can represent new beginnings.
Eihwaz represents transformation, out with the old and in with the new, which pairs well with the ancient Celtic new year.
Androgyny
In Samhain's past, it wasn’t uncommon for men to dress in traditionally women’s clothes and women to dress in traditionally men’s clothes. While the social idea of gender is shifting and we don’t gender clothes as often in some modern societies, we can still use this as a way of celebration. Androgyny is like the liminal version of gender, neither male nor female. So trans witches or gender non-conforming witches of all flavors: show yourself some extra love this coming Samhain holiday!
References and Further Reading
The Ancient Origins of Halloween - History.com
Samhain - Worldhistory.com
Halloween Customs in the Celtic World - by Bettina Arnold
Samhain - Wikipedia
Samhain - Flying the hedge
Secular Celebrations - Samhain - @breelandwalker
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hell-yeah-satanism · 1 month
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Cernunnos e offering
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thedarkwitchesblog · 1 year
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felynewytch-moved · 2 years
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Looking for more blogs/people to follow
Note that this is a side blog and I will be following from my main account ( @feralpriestess )
Looking for blogs/people who post the following content: will be witchcraft / magic specific
Folk based practices.
Anyone following Celtic deities/Celtic Craft(in particular the Morrigan)
Spirit work
Astral work / Dream work
Hedge witch / witchcraft
If you’re an active witchcraft / magic based blog in any way!
Nature aesthetic / witch aesthetic is also acceptable
Like / reblog this post so I can check you out and follow you
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seraphimfall · 2 years
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i am catholic in the sense that i hate the british, nothing more.
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bloodvampyr · 2 months
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(x)
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cottageyuuboo · 2 years
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My favorite thing ever. New books! 📚😍
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shadowtemplepdx · 2 years
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This is a great book for those of you just beginning the path in faerie witchcraft. Links below to affordable copies of the book. I’ve never found it for free anywhere
Thiftbooks
World of books
Ebay
Target
Biblio (where i got my copy)
Only reason that I know anything about faerie witchcraft is because my father is a “seeker of the fae”. it’s what my relatives in America and Ireland called his style of witchcraft.
I remember, as a child, leaving offerings of honey, milk and bread on this huge stone slab of rose marble in our backyard. I learned later that it was my father’s altar. He planted so many flowers in our yard to attract bees and butterflies.
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schlattburity · 2 years
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🤯😭 ITS MABON, THE KING IS DYING 😱😳🍎💯PICK APPLES TO KEEP HIM ALIVE🍎🎃👶🎄UNTILL HIS SON IS BORN (YULE)🎄👶
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✩ Oct. 9th - full hunter’s Moon (sometimes blood moon or sanguine moon)  ✩
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As we approach winter, things are beginning to change. The days are shorter and the temperatures drop. Leaves fall and the animals fatten. Now is the time to recognize the changes in your life and make steps towards accepting them. 
happy full hunter’s moon :)) Blessed be
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fangwitch · 2 years
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I have decided to align my practice with that of hedge witchcraft, as that is more fitting with what I've been practicing overall in the last 7 years.
If there are other hedge witches, I'd love to start a group chat or similar for us to chat :))
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coinandcandle · 2 years
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Lughnasadh
Learn about the holiday of Lughnasadh and how you can celebrate!
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Photo Credit: Polina Rytova
What is Lughnasadh?
Pronounced LOO-nah-sah, Lughnasadh is an old Gaelic festival named after the god Lugh. The name “Lughnasadh” is Old Irish for (roughly) “The Gathering of Lugh”.
Also called Lúnasa (modern Irish), Lùnastal (Scottish Gaelic), and Luanistyn (Manx Gaelic).
Lughnasadh starts at sunset on July 31st and ends the night of August 1st, being halfway between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox; the holiday is one of four known Seasonal Festivals of the Gaelic-speaking people, the others include Beltane, Samhain, and Imbolc.
Note: The Holiday is held on January 31st – February 1st in the Southern Hemisphere!
Who is Lugh?
Lugh has many epithets, including (but not limitied to) Lugh Lámfada “of the long arm”, Ildánach  ”the Skilled God” , and Macnia “the Youthful Warrior”.
He is the god of many skills, art, and justice. Though he also had a trickster side.
Lugh is also linked to lightning and the sun due to the etymology of his name; Lugh has been suggested to translate as “light” and one of his many epithets is “The Shining One”.
Feel free to read more about Lugh in this Deity Guide I wrote for him or look at the references and further reading section below!
History, Lore and Traditions
The Holiday may be named after Lugh, but one of the more popular myths around Lughnasadh is that Lugh had created it in honor of his foster mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after readying the fields for agriculture.
Competitive games, particularly the Tailteann Games or Áenach Tailten (modern spelling: Aonach Tailteann) were held during this time.
Feasts were had, as the holiday originated in legend as a funeral feast for Tailtiu.
Holy wells were visited during Lughnasadh, much like the other Celtic holidays. People would pray and offer coins (or clooties) while walking around the well clockwise.
As Lugh is also the god of oath-keeping and justice, contracts were signed and diplomatic meetings were held during Lughnasadh.
Matchmaking and hand-fastings were held on Lughnasadh. Specifically trial marriages were started on this day, with a trial period of a year and a day; you could finalize it after the year’s end or end the marriage.
Bonfires were sometimes lit but were not necessarily a huge part of this particular holiday.
Traditionally for Lughnasadh, folks would take the first corn of the harvest and climb to the top of a hill or otherwise high location to bury it as an offering.
A sacred bull would also be sacrificed sometimes, and the meat of the bull would be a part of the feast. The bull would then be replaced by a new, younger bull for the next year’s festival.
The exact traditions of the holiday would vary based on the culture, location, and even family of those celebrating it.
A Note on Lammas
Often conflated, Lammas, the two holidays share many similarities but are different in origin and history. Lughnasadh is Gaelic and Pagan whereas Lammas is Anglo-Saxon and Christian. In the References and Further Reading section below you can read a great blog post about it titled “A Little History of Lammas” in which the author puts it perfectly: Conflating these two holidays: "...is not just an oversimplification but also culturally tone-deaf; even if they have linked origins - and that's a big if - the Irish and English festivals have very different histories, and have to be understood within their different cultural contexts.”
Modern Day Lughnasadh
Correspondences
Note: Any historic or traditional offerings will be marked with a (T). Your offerings do not have to be historic to be valid, this is just my way of categorizing!
Deities
Lugh is obviously the main deity for this holiday historically.
Other deities that honor harvests and agriculture and such could also be celebrated on this day. A few examples include:
Osiris
Demeter
Ceres
Freyr
Colors
Warm colors like orange, yellow, and gold.
Warm brown tones.
Earthy Green
Herbs and Plants
Corn (T)
Wheat (T)
Basil
Calendula
Chamomile
Echinacea
Fennel
Lemon balm
Marjoram
Nasturtium
Rosemary
Sage
Sunflowers
Sweet alyssum
Thyme
Yarrow
Stones/Metals/Crystals
Gold
Citrine
Tiger’s eye jasper
Ruby
Hematite
Spell work
Spells that deal with justice and fairness
Creating contracts with spirits or deities
Spells that deal with abundance
Prosperity spells
Offerings
Coins (T)
Corn (T)
Bilberries (T)
Blueberries
Pies (specifically bilberry or blueberry pies)(T)
Wine (T)
Cake (T)
Activities
Play Cornhole
Play athletic/competitive games
Bake a cake
Prepare a feast (T)
Take a walk and appreciate the coming change of the seasons
Research Lugh, his foster mother, and Celtic history
Climb a hill and bury an offering (T)
Set up or decorate your altar using items from the list above (or your own correspondences!)
These are only some offerings, correspondences, and activities that you could do for Lughnasadh. If you want to celebrate in a different way you certainly can!
Citations and Further Readings
Lughnasadh - New World Encyclopedia
Lugh - Mythopedia
A Little History of Lammas by A Clerk of Oxford
July Garden - Tenth Acre Farm (used for herbal references)
Lammas - Britannica
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Edited for accuracy
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hell-yeah-satanism · 6 days
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Heres a note: dont tag any of my e offerings to gods i worship as “for me??” Even if you share a name, if you dont understand dont reblog end of
You wouldnt do this with a Christian god, dont do it for pagan gods
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